A factory produced rifle is attached to the factory stock by two anchor points, one through the front of the action that articulates with the front of the trigger guard, and another through the rear of the action that articulates with the rear of the trigger guard. Thus, in a factory rifle, the action is not firmly secured within the stock and will shift with ammunition ignition, a fact which limits the accuracy of the factory produced rifle. Aftermarket improvements implemented by gunsmiths to increase the accuracy of rifles include firmly bedding the barreled action and magazine, floating the barrel, and adjusting of the trigger mechanism. The main components of a firearm are the action, barrel, and trigger mechanism, critical components which allow the firearm to function. A given stock represents simply a method to hold the critical components in a reproducible manner such that predicted results can be repeated. The bedding system allows for the maintenance of accuracy in a firearm and thus creates predictability.
In the traditional configuration of a bolt-action rifle as understood in the prior art, utilizes an arrangement in which the trigger is securely and permanently attached to the receiver. The said permanent attachment insures that the bolt mechanism will engage the trigger mechanism every time the action is operated. This configuration has limited the configurations of previous take-down rifles to two separation mechanisms: one in which the action and barrel are separated and one in which the stock itself is separated in a location behind the action. The unique embodiment of the caliber exchange system is to allow for the trigger mechanism to be separated intentionally from the receiver, an arrangement which allows for a take-down rifle to be created by the separation of the bedding of a rifle. Bedding separation has not been utilized in the prior art due to the limitations that are described below. In short, the bedding systems in the prior art are utilized to create a firm surface for the permanent attachment of a barreled action into the stock. The said attachment is a critical mechanism of creating increased accuracy. Due to the importance of the said bedding system function, the bedding systems were not utilized to create a take-down rifle, as separation of the bedding system would prohibit the accurate utilization of a firearm. Furthermore, concerns of the separation of a trigger mechanism from the receiver include mechanism malfunction. If the trigger is not positioned precisely in the needed orientation, the trigger will fail to accept the bolt mechanism and the rifle will not operate correctly. Thus, if the bedding system is to be utilized for the creation of a take-down rifle, a repeatable and predictable mechanism must be created in order to allow for the trigger to be separated from the receiver.
Beginning with renown benchrest shooters such as Warren Page, the quest for supreme accuracy in a rifle did not become mainstream until the 1960's. Warren Page's book, The Accurate Rifle (copyright 1973, Claymore Publishing Company, Canton, Ohio), was the first classic book discussing the techniques for building an accurate rifle. In the book, Warren Page eloquently places into prose many of the techniques in the art that were previously only discussed by gunsmiths. Warren Page, an avid rifleman, dedicated wildcatter, and exceptional marksman, is credited by many of the people educated in the art of rifles to be the father of modern gunsmithing. The bedding and reloading techniques discussed in the book would form the foundation of modern rifle manufacturing and ammunition reloading. Minimal changes in the methods or process have been made since the original concepts of bedding were introduced.
In the prior art, the term action is understood to represent the mechanism of the firearm that presents a live cartridge into the chamber for firing, and then removes the spent round in order to chamber another live round. The action may include, but is not limited to, a bolt action, a gas operated automatic action, a single action, and a lever action. In general, the term action is also loosely associated with the term “receiver”. A receiver is the metallic structure of a firearm that houses the bolt, or the element of a firearm that touches the cartridge and houses the firing mechanism. The terms action and receiver are thus loosely synonymous. A barreled action is a term utilized by those well versed in the prior art to describe the product of mating of a given action with a given barrel. The term is understood widely and will be utilized below in reference to the prior art. The barreled action is then bedded within a given stock.
Bedding systems are utilized in the prior art in order to create a permanent and exact mating surface between the barreled action and the stock. The said permanent surface is created to prevent the movement of a given barreled action within its opposing stock, a function which allows for a uniform bond between the said barreled action and the stock to allow for a consistent relationship to be maintained in the system throughout recoil. The vibrations and relative forces created with recoil are then distributed consistently throughout the system and provide for an increase in accuracy. Thus, in the prior art, a bedding system is understood to describe the direct relationship between a given barred action and its reciprocating stock. The concept is singular in application in that a single bedding system is created to mount a single barreled action of a given caliber to a single stock.
Floating (or free floating) a rifle's barrel is typically performed by isolating the barrel from any contact with the stock forward of the insertion site of the barrel into the action. Generally, barrel floatation is accomplished by channeling the fore-end of the stock so that no portion of the stock is in contact with the barrel. The lack of barrel to stock contact provides increased accuracy by limiting any influences on the position of the barrel. For example, the metal of the barrel expands with the heat produced from repetitive ammunition ignition. Contact between the rifle stock and the barrel may result in pressure points that could cause uneven heating, resulting in uneven expansion and the alteration of a bullets path. Furthermore, vibration is created when a bullet is in contact with the lands of a rifled barrel as it spins down its length and out the end. Floating allows the vibrations to proceed without any external influence on the barrel, a process that increases accuracy by creating the same vibration pattern with every ignition.
Floating is at its best when used with rifles that have relatively large diameter barrels, because they are less flexible than slimmer barrels. Lighter “sporter” barrels are less stable, and may flex enough during the shot that accuracy will suffer. The length of a barrel that is free floating may be variable due to pressure bedding. Remington uses a form of this on their Model 700 rifles—usually leaving a built-up portion of the stock in the barrel channel which applies pressure to the bottom of the barrel at the end of the forearm, but otherwise the barrel is floated.
As stated above, the concept of the bedding of a barreled action is well known in the prior art and represents the creation of a uniform surface in a stock for the mounting of a barreled action. A receiver, or action, has two main ports utilized to secure the said action to the receiver. The two main attachment points are the rear action screw port, located in the receiver directly behind the trigger port, and the front action screw, located on the receiver in front of the magazine port and behind the recoil lug. The recoil lug is an additional structure that is applied at the junction of the receiver and the barrel that serves to prevent shear forces from acting on the action screws with recoil. If one were to remove a barreled action from a stock, one would visualize three main ports in the stock that are designed to fit the rear and front action screws and the recoil lug. These three separate said ports in the stock are the focus of all bedding systems in the prior art.
Bedding consists of creating a stable and consistent contact surface, or mating, between the action (or receiver) and the stock to ensure that there is no movement under the influences of recoil. A thin layer of epoxy material is applied to the stock to provide an exact mating of the barreled action to the stock, a process that allows for tolerances far less than the most exact of machining. With the proper application of epoxy material, the action will have a near zero-tolerance fit to the receiver, a fact which will allow no room for the receiver to move around in from shot to shot. With the proper bedding, the barreled action returns to the exact same place in the stock after ignition, thereby improving the accuracy of the rifle. This process is most often accomplished using compounds designed specifically for this purpose, the compounds usually made of fiberglass resin or other synthetic epoxy.
There are six methods of action and/or barrel bedding in common use today:    1. Full contact bedding of the action with the barrel floated.    2. Full contact-bedding of the action and the barrel.    3. Full contact bedding of the action with a pressure-bearing pad for the barrel.    4. Pillar bedding of the action with the barrel floated.    5. A full length aluminum action bedding block.    6. The action glued to the stock with the barrel floated.
The preferred method depends on the gunsmith's experience and preference, although full contact bedding of the action with the barrel floated, pillar bedding of the action with the barrel floated, and the use of a full length aluminum action bedding block are generally the three most popular methods. Many factory rifles now in production utilize barrel floatation, but production constraints prevent the time required to properly bed the action. While the factory produced rifles have been produced with a general increase in accuracy, there is still room for improvement. The processes of glass bedding and pillar bedding are described for completeness.
The glass bedding technique is utilized to secure the length of the receiver from the rear action screw position to the front action screw position, a process which forms a uniform bed to eliminate any movement within the interface between the receiver and the stock between the said action screw positions. There are two goals to strive for with glass bedding of a rifle: eliminate possible stress to barrel, bolt and action, and to ensure movement relative to its anchor points on stock is minimized during ignition. If the action does not return to the same position on the bedding after ignition, the action cannot be relied upon to shoot with consistent precision or accuracy. Materials needed for action bedding include: bedding compound (Brownells, Acraglas, Acraglas Gel, Glasbed, SteelBed, MicroSight's MicroBed, DevCon Plastic Steel, Travaco Marine-Tex), modeling clay, masking tape, three or four 8″ elastic bands (for securing receiver while epoxy is curing), release agent (suitable for type of epoxy used), epoxy dyes (to color epoxy to match stock if desired), inlefting tools or Dremel Moto-Tool, coarse, medium and fine sand paper, stock vise or suitable holding fixture, cleaner/degreaser (alcohol, Break Clean, grease-free electrical contact cleaner or trichloroethane), extra long headless action screws, and a disposable container for mixing epoxy.
Reynolds (U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,142 B1) is an intricately described bedding chassis system that improves upon the limitations of the glass bedding process, a bedding configuration in which the entire surface of the receiver and recoil lug are firmly attached to a specially designed stock. In the Reynolds chassis system, a bedding block system is implemented to specifically and permanently bed a single receiver into a single stock with absolute security. The design is implemented to not allow for the receiver to be mobilized within the stock under the recoil forces. Reynolds also utilizes an action mounting insert that is a two part component chassis block system that also permanently beds the full length of the receiver into a stock. The Reynolds bedding block system also utilizes two separate configurations to impart tension on the front edge of the recoil lug.
The inventive principles of the interrupted support surface implemented in the caliber exchange system is an improvement of the Reynolds system in that an increased distance is created in the attachment points between the interrupted support surfaces to allow for a more stable mounting surface for the barreled action, a function which serves to bypass the need for a full length receiver bedding procedure. In addition, the caliber exchange system utilizes a separate series of machined ports with an articulating screw to firmly anchor the recoil lug to the upper support surface, an intended articulated feature that serves to firmly support the receiver/barrel interface.
The purpose of a pillar bedding system is to provide reinforcement for the front and rear action screws. These two screws are the main attachment points of the barreled action and the stock. The pillar system prevents stock compression when the action screws are tightened, a process that removes any stress from the bedding and thus increases the accuracy of the rifle. The pillars are either of generally machined aluminum, titanium, steel, or epoxy with the length depending on the depth of the stock at each of the action bolts. Grooves are machined on the outer circumference to give a good epoxy bond between the stock and the pillars. No direct contact is made between a metal pillar and the action screw. The pillars serve to reinforce the space surrounding the rear and front action screw ports so that the barreled action does not compress the stock when the said front and rear action screws are tightened. The pillar bedding system may be used in addition to the glass bedding procedure. The desired result is again to prevent the motion of a barreled action within a given stock upon recoil. The utilization of the bedding configuration embodied by the caliber exchange system excludes the need for the traditional pillar and glass bedding processes.
Casull (U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,464) describes an example of a bedding system that utilizes a full contact bedding of the action with a pressure-bearing point for the barrel. The bedding system of Casull is described as a rigid insert member that fits snugly within the stock and extends upward beyond the top edge of the housing port by a distance of 2-10 millimeters to provide full length bedding for the action while allowing a partial floatation of the barrel. The traditional locations of the front and rear action screws are utilized to permanently join the action to the stock. The bedding system may be improved upon due to the limited focus of the attachment surface constrained by the traditional location of the said front and rear action screws. The caliber exchange system offers a solution by widening the points of attachment to allow for the floatation of the action and the barrel.
Factory rifles are produced utilizing mass production techniques. Despite the increased tolerances used in the machining of the rifle parts, floatation of the barrel, the bedding of the action, and the adjustment of the trigger mechanism, there is still room for improvement in the accuracy of the factory rifle.
Thus, in the prior art, a bedding surface is merely created in order to facilitate the enhancement of the stability between the connection of the barreled action and the stock. The bedding of a rifle is created as a single one time entity, in which the said surface is created to solidify the relationship between a single barreled action and its associated stock. The bedding systems of the prior art are created to remain in constant contact with the barreled action and are not intentioned to be separated during the utilization of a rifle. No current system exists in which the bedding surface itself is utilized in the creation of a take-down rifle, a rifle in which the action and the barrel are not separated.
The narrow focus of the bedding systems in the prior art is a critical concept inherent in the implementation of the caliber exchange system and is improved upon with the implementation of the interrupted support surfaces. The prior art concentrates the bedding process to the undersurface of the receiver in the portion of the receiver extending between the traditional positions of the rear and front action screw ports, the action screw ports defined as dedicated ports machined in the receiver for the attachment of the said receiver to the stock. In the prior art, the rear and front action screws are the two major attachment points between the receiver and the stock, a given and understood configuration that limits the previous bedding concepts to the said portion of the receiver.
A take-down rifle, defined as a rifle that is transported in two or more parts that are each individually shorter in length than the assembled rifle, in the prior art is created by two main concepts: one, the segmentation of the stock, and two, the separation of the barrel from the action. Each method has disadvantages that are improved on by the caliber exchange system.
The pre-action stock segmentation system in the pre-action location is a method of selectively separating the stock to the rear of the action, creating the maximal portability of a firearm without affecting the inherent relationship between the core components of the rifle, defined as the action, barrel, and trigger mechanism. The pre-action stock segmentation utilizes the rear action screw location as an anchoring point to segment the stock in the weakest and most narrow portion of the stock, a location of the stock that is held by the operator to address the trigger mechanism. The previous limitations of segmenting a stock in this location are overcome by the reinforcement of the said weakest portion of the stock by the insertion of the segmentation device. The limitation of the system is that a single stock containing a single barreled action is segmented, a limitation which limits the usage of the system with a platform that is only capable of utilizing a single given caliber.
Eberle (US 2004/0211104 A1) is a universal modular gunstock consisting of a buttstock, a bedding chassis, and a forestock that is individually capable of mounting a diverse assortment of long gun firearms. The bedding chassis is a full length bedding platform consisting of a single component that is utilized for the bedding of a single action. The bedding chassis is the structural core to which a buttstock and a forestock are attached; a single screw is utilized to attach the buttstock to the chassis in the rear with a dove-tail fit, and multiple screws are utilized to attach the forestock to the chassis in the front with the utilization of sidewall receiving slots. The system may be improved upon as the bedding chassis provides for a full length bedding of a single action, the attachment screw design is cumbersome and would not permit rapid application, and there is no means described to securely attach an action to the bedding chassis. The caliber exchange system utilizes multiple unique features that improve upon the modular gunstock design, provides for a specific means for the selective attachment of an action to a stock, and implements a platform to allow for the floatation of the action.
The current field of firearms has recently addressed multiple improvements for the “black rifle”, or the semi-automatic gas operated combat rifle, currently utilized by the United States armed forces in the M-16 configuration, and the civilian models AR-15 and AR-10. The said configuration of the semi-automatic prior art rifle weapon is understood by and utilized in the improvements set forth by Luth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,040 B1), Hochstrate (U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,228 B2), Armstrong (U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,998), Hammond (U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,564), Christensen (U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,082 B2), Robinson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,577), Keppeler (U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,167), and Mayer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,925). The configuration is well known in the art and is described by Luth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,040 B1). The upper receiver assembly of the prior art consists of an upper receiver and barrel assembly, with a barrel nut utilized at the interface between the upper receiver and the barrel. The recoil lug as understood in the prior art for other rifle configurations is not utilized in the said semi-automatic gas operated rifle. The upper receiver is attached to the lower receiver by two attachment points, the forward locking lug and the rear locking lug, both attachment points are utilized on the receiver side of the barrel and are integral components machined into the said upper receiver assembly.
The trigger mechanism is assembled within the lower receiver assembly in following with the prior art rifle configuration of the semi-automatic weapon. The trigger mechanism of a “black rifle” is distinctly different in configuration from that of a bolt action rifle. As described by Luth, the trigger mechanism, sear, and hammer assembly are positioned within the lower receiver assembly. The firing pin and mechanism are housed separately in the upper receiver assembly. The hammer in the lower assembly, when released by the trigger, strikes an inertia firing pin in the bolt of the upper assembly. The firing pin accelerates towards the cartridge primer and after ignition returns to its original position by means of a spring. The action of the spring is powered by gas funneled in from the barrel. After firing, the bolt is forced back, cocks the hammer and the cycle is repeated. The firing pin spring returns the bolt to its original position to be ready to be struck by the hammer and fired again. The firing pin and mechanism are housed in the upper receiver, and the hammer and trigger mechanism remains attached to the lower end of the rifle when the upper part is removed during disassembly.
In a conventional bolt action rifle, the spring is contained within the bolt itself, and thus is not positioned within the stock, as described above in the said black rifle configuration known in the prior art. Thus, in a bolt action rifle trigger mechanism, the functionality of the spring is within the actual receiver, or bolt more specifically, and a hammer is not utilized. The trigger mechanism in a bolt action rifle is always attached to the receiver and catches the cocking mechanism when a round is placed into the chamber during the cycling of the bolt. Thus, the trigger serves only to catch and release the firing pin in a bolt action rifle. Furthermore, firing pins have their springs on the opposite side of that found on assault rifles, and the said bolt action spring itself is used to accelerate the pin towards the primer. The importance of the position of a trigger mechanism in a bolt action rifle is crucial, as the mechanism must be positioned in a configuration in which the trigger mechanism may catch the bolt on every pass to allow for proper function. For this reason, the trigger is always positioned attached to the receiver in a bolt action rifle. The trigger configuration of the caliber exchange system utilizes an interrupted bedding surface to house the trigger separately from the receiver.
An interchangeable weapon receiver for alternate ammunition of Luth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,040 B1) improves upon the semi-automatic prior art rifle weapon noted to be the M-16/AR-15 rifle with a lower receiver assembly and an upper receiver assembly, a prior art configuration as understood and improved on by the said above patents. The interchangeable upper receiver assembly of Luth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,040 B1), as described by Luth, is designed to be utilized with the lower receiver assembly of the exemplary prior art weapon in order to incorporate the functionality of multiple types of projectiles. In the described inventive principles put forth by Luth, the semi-automatic gas operated upper receiver of the prior art rifle is exchanged for an interchangeable single shot upper receiver. The interchangeable upper receiver is described as a smooth bore single shot weapon that is to be manually loaded at the breech, a mechanism that does not utilize the previously described gas operation for semi-automatic use. Thus, in Luth, a repeater rifle is converted into a single shot weapon. The breech loading functionality of the said interchangeable upper receiver assembly is depicted in the figures as a mechanism in which the said barrel is separated from the said receiver and the cartridge is loaded at the breech, or the described integral, unitary breech block. The single-shot breech loading mechanism is utilized to fire single rounds of shotgun, flare, and grenade cartridges from a semi-automatic rifle, a function which allows a soldier to limit the number of weapons that must be carried into an engagement. The said multiple cartridges are fired from a consistently carried unitary breech block, a configuration analogous to the barrel switch configuration of bolt action rifles.
The bolt action, in a repeater or single shot configuration, is well understood in the art to represent a separate functionality from the said single shot breech loading and semi-automatic gas operated configurations. The caliber exchange system improves upon the limitations of the said interchangeable weapon receiver system by creating a stable precise bedding system in which a unique interrupted bedding surface utilizing attachment point separation is created in a stock to allow for multiple rounds to be fired from a single given receiver-barrel combination. In the caliber exchange system, the unique bedding system allows for the precision usage of multiple rimfire and centerfire calibers from a single bolt action platform that provides for the precise shot placement at ranges exceeding 1000 meters, an effective distance dependent on the caliber utilized.
An additional configuration is utilized in a typical gas-operated semi-automatic rifle (U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,758) in which a rigid truss is utilized within a stock to directly attach a barrel and stock, a structure that houses the gas operated slide mechanism. The caliber exchange system improves upon this configuration by supporting the barreled action on the barrel side of the receiver/barrel interface without directly contacting the barrel.
A further configuration utilized in a typical semi-automatic blowback rifle where the receiver is mounted in the buttstock in a bullpup configuration (U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,405) provides for an attachment forward of the receiver in which the said mounting configuration allows for rotational and horizontal movement of the receiver and barrel after firing.
In the prior art, the most portable systems utilized in the creation of a take-down rifle are the systems that implement a separation of the action from the barrel. Many such configurations exist, but principle implemented is consistent. The separation of the barrel from the action allows for the creation of a take-down rifle into two separate portions that are roughly equal in length. The said separation has limitations as the said separation allows for increased wear of the mobilized parts and requires the system to be re-sighted after the re-articulation of the parts if the barrel applied is of a separate caliber. Separation of the action from the barrel may be represented by firearms manufactured by HS Precision, Dakota, Merkel, Blaser, Harrington and Richards, and Thompson. The separation of the action and barrel, in addition to the barrel switch configuration, is limited due to the mechanics of the said separation. An additional limitation is the high cost of production due to the necessity of providing multiple bolt faces necessary for the proper implementation of some of the barrel switch configurations. The caliber exchange system offers an improvement over such limitations by creating a platform for exchange in which the action and barrel remain united throughout the operation of the platform, a said platform in which the interface between the action and the barrel are maintained in the creation of a take-down rifle.
The take-down rifle with the caliber exchanging system is desired for three specific populations: one, a civilian or solder who wants a compact rifle for inclusion into survival packs; two, the hunter that will be traveling to remote regions who needs a rifle that will fit into compact space and be easily portable; and three, military snipers who will need to conceal the rifle will engaging in counter-terrorism actions, a situation in which the rifle may have to be concealed from surrounding civilian observation. In all instances, the accuracy of the rifle is paramount and no doubt as to point of impact changes should have to be considered. The market may also be separated into two groups based on two cartridge configurations: rimfire and centerfire cartridges. Each population may additionally benefit from the use of a single platform that is capable of utilizing multiple calibers without any change in accuracy incurred during the usage of the said caliber exchange.
The term receiver/barrel combination is utilized in the present invention in order to differentiate the functionality of a barreled action in the prior art from the functionality of the said combination between receiver and barrel in the present invention. A receiver/barrel combination is an entity referring to a given unit consisting of a receiver and a barrel of a given caliber. The receiver/barrel combination, when combined to one of the interrupted support surfaces, forms a singular unit, selectively separated from a stock and its corresponding interrupted support surfaces. Thus, the term receiver/barrel combination is utilized to note the independent function of the said combination from that of the stock. The inventive principles of the caliber exchange system allow for multiple independent receiver/barrel combinations to be utilized from a single stock platform.
The removal of a receiver/barrel combination from the stock allows for a system to be created in which the entire undersurface of the receiver/barrel combination is utilized, a surface that extends from the rear action screw position behind the trigger port in the receiver to the region on the barrel side of the recoil lug. The said surfaces to be utilized are understood upon the complete removal of a receiver/barrel combination from the stock. The Custom High Country Take-Down Rifle discussed below is used to illustrate how the prior art conceptualizes the separation of the barreled action from the stock, and the limitations inherent in the principles of the traditional mating of a single barreled action with a single stock.
The Custom High Country Take-Down Rifle manufactured by Brown Precision, Inc is the closest concept to the caliber exchanging system that exists in the prior art. The High Country rifle is a take-down rifle produced from the separation of the barreled action from the stock by the utilization of the rear and forward action screws. In the High Country rifle, the rear and forward action screw ports are utilized to form the separation of the unsupported barreled action from the stock, the said configuration produces a take-down rifle from the disengagement of the said front and rear action screw ports. The said separated barreled action component includes the receiver, action, barrel, and trigger mechanism; a component that does not include a separate bedding surface. In order to utilize the High Country rifle, the operator must simply disengage the front and rear action screws, and the barreled action is separated from the stock. The recoil lug is consistent with the prior art, and does not include any attachment port, a configuration in which the inferior extension of the recoil lug is to merely be accepted by the bedding surface within the given stock. Thus, the recoil lug is not utilized in a function outside of the current prior art. The stock component of the High Country rifle contains the entire bedding surface of the rifle system; importantly, the inherent barreled action itself is to act as the likeness of a superior bedding surface in that the said barreled action itself is the only surface utilized, and a separate bedding surface is not applied to the said rifle component itself. As noted, the bedding surface itself, in any given configuration included in the said High Country rifle, is located completely within the said stock of the High Country Rifle. In such a configuration, the rifle does not utilize the bedding surface in any configuration outside of the current prior art. Most importantly the said Custom High Country Take-Down Rifle is implemented as a system for the exact purpose as the name implies, a take-down rifle. Thus, the said separation of the barreled action from the stock in the High Country rifle is implemented only as a means of producing a take-down rifle. The said High Country Rifle is manufactured with an intent only to be a take-down rifle, and the said configuration is not intended to be used as a caliber exchanging system.
The Custom High Country Take-Down Rifle manufactured by Brown Precision, Inc is a rifle manufactured with the explicit purpose of providing a customer with a take-down rifle. The High Country rifle is not manufactured with the explicit purpose to be used as a caliber exchanging system. Further, there is not any expression within the literature for the utilization of the High Country rifle as an embodiment that would include the intent of creating a product that would include the inventive principles of a caliber exchanging system; the said literature defined as the information presented to an interested customer for the purpose of individual purchase and usage, the said information presented to a possible company for the manufacturing of a take-down rifle, and the said literature including all written materials provided on the internet for a reasonable search of the mechanism of product type or intentions of the usage of a given product type. In the provided said literature concerning the said Custom High Country Take-Down rifle, the said company describes the said rifle in the following manner: “This Custom High Country Take-Down rifle has been designed for the traveling hunter looking for a full-sized rifle in a compact package, with repeatability and accuracy Brown Precision is famous for”. Inherent in the given description of the said High Country Rifle provided in the disclosure of the product by the said Brown Precision, Inc to a customer or manufacturer, or one of the said parties researching the utilization of the product for a possible patent search, is that fact that the said High Country rifle is sold with the explicit purpose of providing the customer with a take-down rifle. The said rifle is not intended to provide a given customer with the option of utilizing multiple calibers from a single given platform, the platform being a take-down rifle utilizing the embodiments of a caliber exchanging system. Thus, the Custom High Country Take-down rifle is only sold with the intent of embodying a take-down rifle.
Further, the said High Country Rifle does not include any embodiment outside of the prior art, in that the segmentation of the barreled action from the stock may be utilized with any given rifle, as the separation of the said rifle is only a disengagement of the front and rear action screws. One who is intent on creating a take-down rifle that utilizes the configuration inherent in the embodiment of the said High Country rifle may only have to take any given factory produced rifle, remove the said rear and forward action screws, and the embodiment of the said High Country Take-down rifle is created. Thus, there is no new addition to the prior art in the utilization of the embodiment of the said High Country Take-down rifle.
The High Country Take-down rifle is not an infringement of the inventive principles of the caliber exchanging system for the following reasons: the said rifle is produced for the explicit of producing a given rifle for the purpose of utilizing the said rifle as a take-down rifle, the said rifle produces the said take-down conversion from the simple disengagement of the said front and rear action screws, the said rifle is not to be implemented as a platform that provides the utilization of multiple calibers, the said rifle does not include any bedding surface constructed for the explicit purpose of providing a given bedding surface in the said segmented barreled action component, the said rifle does not utilize a detachable magazine, the said rifle includes a stock which contains the entire bedding surface that is to be utilized by the said rifle in the implementation of the take-down rifle, and the said rifle does not include the segmentation of any portion of the said stock of the said take-down rifle, a fact which implies that the stock is a uniform single component and is not to be utilized in the segmentation process that defines the said take-down rifle. Most importantly, the embodiment of the take-down rifle as defined in the literature concerning the said High Country Take-down rifle, does not differ from the inventive principles included in the prior art, as the creation of the take-down rifle in the embodiment of the said High Country Take-down rifle utilizes only the disengagement of the said front and rear action screw ports, a function which may be utilized in any given rifle within the current art.
The caliber exchanging system differs from the embodiment of the High Country Take-down rifle in many ways. The caliber exchanging system, as disclosed in the described inventive principles of the said caliber exchanging system, creates a take-down rifle in which the bedding surface of a given rifle is separated to create the said take-down function, and the utilization of the said segmentation of the bedding surfaces functions as an inventive method to allow the utilization of multiple calibers from a single platform. In the inventive principles of the caliber exchanging system, the receiver/barrel combination is supported by an upper retention housing, a purpose which provides a partial bedding surface for the said receiver/barrel combination. The utilization of a partial bedding surface allows the receiver/barrel combination to be bedded to a separate component, individual of the bedding within a given stock, so that accuracy may be further maintained during the implementation of the said caliber exchanging system. The caliber exchange system utilizes a unique principle of attachment point separation that allows for the creation of a platform in which the increased stability provided by the said attachment point separation to allow for the floatation of the receiver/barrel combination. In one embodiment, the receiver/barrel combination utilizes a pillar-bushing configuration to provide the attachment points. In a further embodiment, the caliber exchange system utilizes two separate attachment point mechanisms: one a screw-less joint, and the other a single screw. The inventive principles of the attachment point mechanisms create a highly precise, elegant manner for securing a receiver/barrel combination to an interrupted bedding surface. Further, the recoil lug, as described in the inventive principles of the caliber exchanging system, utilizes an articulation port for the bedding of the receiver/barrel combination within the interrupted bedding surface.
The inventive principles of the caliber exchange system improve upon the limitations of the current concepts applied to the bedding of a barreled action into a stock. Such current bedding concepts are limited in focus as the prior art illustrates a myriad of bedding methods which utilize the traditional configuration of the front and rear action screw locations to bed the barreled action. Further, most systems utilize a full length bedding of the action to inhibit motion of the action within the stock. The narrow focus of the bedding systems of the prior art is the focus of the attention on the locations of the rear and front action screws.
The limited focus of the current utilization of bedding processes must be emphasized. The traditional configuration of a single receiver/barrel combination to a single dedicated stock has created a focus in the prior art to the said region on the receiver between the rear and front action screw ports and the recoil lug. Thus, if the traditional bedding techniques focus on bedding a single receiver/barrel combination into a single stock utilizing the rear and front action screw ports, the said focus is then understood to be the length of the receiver and the recoil lug. In the traditional configuration, the receiver/barrel combination is viewed as a single entity that is to be permanently attached to a stock. Due to the fact that the rear and front action screws are positioned in a standard configuration, a configuration in which the rear action screw port is positioned behind the trigger and the front action screw is positioned in front of the magazine but rear to the recoil lug, the distance between the rear and front action screw positions is relatively fixed. When a gunsmith, well versed in the prior art, is requested to “bed” a receiver, the gunsmith will focus on the said rear and front action screws and the recoil lug. Thus, the bedding process known in the prior art will focus on the region of the receiver in between the rear and front action screws and the recoil lug, and will use one or more of the above said processes for the bedding of the said receiver.
The limited focus of the prior art is emphasized when a receiver/combination is designed to be selectively separated from a given stock, a process that is utilized in the creation of a takedown rifle in the present invention. When the receiver/barrel combination is to be separated from a given stock by direct intent, the focus on the region of the receiver/barrel combination to the rear of the recoil lug is then viewed as a limited surface. In following, when a receiver/barrel combination is to be intently separated from a given stock, the entire surface of the said receiver/barrel combination may then be utilized in a bedding process. Specifically, the region on the barrel side of the receiver/barrel interface may then be used to attach the said receiver/barrel combination to a stock. Thus, the understood relationship between the receiver/barrel combination and the stock is extended in breadth when the said receiver/barrel combination is removed by direct intent from the stock.
When a receiver/barrel combination is intently removed from a given stock, the region of the said combination on the barrel side of the receiver/barrel interface may then be utilized for the attachment of the said receiver/barrel combination to a given stock. Due to this unique relationship, the traditional distance between the rear and front action screws may be increased. The receiver/barrel combination may then be attached to a given stock via two attachment sites: the rear action screw port, positioned to the rear of the trigger port of the receiver, and a forward attachment point on the barrel side of the receiver/barrel interface. The increased distance created by this unique relationship allow for a more stable platform to be created when attaching a receiver/barrel combination to a given stock. The increased stability of the relationship allows for the traditional bedding processes to be bypassed, a configuration which will also allow for the complete floating of the receiver/barrel combination within the stock.
The concept unique to the caliber exchange system is the creation of a more stable platform for the mounting of a receiver/barrel combination by increasing the distance between the two said traditional primary attachment points. Thus, a receiver/barrel combination is mounted with greater stability to a given stock by the creation of the increased distance between the two attachment points. By increasing the distance between the attachment points, the focus on the center of the receiver, the region of the interface focused on with the current concepts of “bedding”, is by-passed, and the current bedding processes understood within the prior art may be omitted in the application of a receiver/barrel combination to a given stock.
An understanding of the creation of an attachment point on the barrel side of the receiver/barrel interface to attach a receiver/barrel combination to a given stock is crucial to the inventive principles of the caliber exchange system. The relationship between the front and rear action screw positions, and the stability that the traditional configuration provides, may be illustrated by the holding of a pencil. The traditional distance between the front and rear action screw positions is illustrated by holding a pencil in the middle of the length of the instrument between the thumb and index finger of each hand with the thumb and index finger of the left hand positioned immediately adjacent to the thumb and index finger of the right hand, both in a position at the center of the pencil. The placement of the hands in the center of the pencil illustrates the usage of traditional bedding configurations, in which the center portion of the receiver is firmly bedded to the stock. The traditional configuration (the said position of the hands) allows for increased mobility of the pencil while secured by the hands. The inventive principles of the caliber exchange system allow for an increase in the distance between the fingers of the right and left hand, respectively. To continue to analogy, in the caliber exchange system, the fingers of the right hand will hold the pencil at one end, and the fingers of the left hand will hold the pencil at the opposite end. By increasing the distance between the hands, the writing instrument is better supported. Further, the stabilizing of the pencil on either end allows for the center portion of the pencil to remain unsupported. Thus, the stabilization of the pencil is illustrated by securing the writing instrument over a longer distance, the increased distance created by the unique position of the attachment surfaces, a relationship which allows for the center portion of a body to be stabilized to remain unsupported.
In summary, the inventive principles of the caliber exchange system improve upon the limitations of all of the previous bedding systems and the limitations described in the manufacturing of a take-down rifle.